Former presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, has dismissed insinuations that ex-President Muhammadu Buhari deliberately delayed the removal of fuel subsidy to create hardship for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday ahead of the official presentation of his upcoming book titled “According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience”, Shehu said such claims were not only unfounded but misleading.
News360 Info reports that Shehu clarified during a session with journalists, “Subsidy removal was not planned to undermine the President Tinubu-led government.”
Amid growing public anger over economic hardship since President Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidy in his May 29, 2023, inaugural speech, some critics have alleged that Buhari intentionally left the tough decision to his successor.
However, Shehu rubbished such narratives, maintaining that Buhari and Tinubu were from the same political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and there was no basis for sabotage.
“Both President Buhari and the incoming President, Bola Tinubu, were members of the APC. So we couldn’t have planned to sabotage our own government,” he said.
Shehu further described Buhari as a man of honour who led with dignity and stayed clear of corruption throughout his tenure.
He said, “President Buhari was above corruption. He came to government with integrity and left with his integrity intact. He did his best. He did well for the country and history will be kind to him.
“President Buhari wasn’t a showman. He wanted his works to impact Nigerians.”
